Rutgers sends 5 competitors to ITA Northeast Regional Championships

The Rutgers tennis team will compete at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships at the University of Pennsylvania from Oct. 18 to 23 in Philadelphia.

The tournament will consist of 44 NCAA Division I programs, and five Scarlet Knights are set to participate in singles and doubles draws.

Senior Mingxiu Du, sophomore Kat Muzik and freshman Maya Jacobs have qualified for the main singles bracket, thanks to a selection based on an ITA formula that considers win-loss percentage, the strength of the opponent and prospect rating for some of the younger players.

Du will make an appearance at the ITA Regional Championships for a second straight year. In the 2016 campaign, Du registered two wins in the qualifier phase to move into the bracket, where she earned a win before suffering a loss in the second round.

Now, Du faces a new challenge at Penn with a 2-3 singles record for Rutgers this season.

Muzik comes to the ITA Regional Championships after consolation recognition at the Navy Blue and Gold Invitational. Muzik also brings to the ITA tournament an 18-15 record, placing second on the current roster with most career singles wins. Muzik’s debut is expected to be this weekend.

Jacobs will participate in her second consecutive ITA tournament. Her first game is to be expected this weekend as well. Jacobs ties Muzik for the team lead in singles wins with a 5-2 record this season.

In addition to these three Knights, senior Chloe Lee and sophomore Jaci Cochrane will be in the qualifier draws during the first day of competition.

Lee and Cochrane will see action on Wednesday, needing two victories to join the main draw.

Cochrane comes to the tournament after a remarkable performance at the Navy Blue and Gold Invitational this past weekend, where she obtained a runner-up seat. Cochrane has registered a 4-3 record in singles play and 17 career victories in her sophomore season.

If all five Rutgers players end up playing in the main singles bracket, it will be the most in program history at the ITA Regional Championships since 2012, when the Knights carried seven competitors at this tournament.

For the doubles main draw competition, Du will partner up with Cochrane, while Muzik will team with Jacobs. Du and Cochrane are 2-2 as a doubles pair this season, while Muzik and Jacobs hold a 3-2 record sharing the court.

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